Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated on Platform X that “Israel strongly rejects the contempt of the latest propaganda trick by the tyrant (President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan.” Sa’ar added, “Since Erdoğan’s era, the judiciary has become a tool to silence political opponents and arrest journalists, judges, and mayors,” according to him.
Yesterday, Friday, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office issued charges of genocide. In a statement, it said: “An arrest warrant was issued for 37 suspects, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity,” according to Turkish “Anadolu” news agency.
The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office added that Israeli authorities are accused of genocide, intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The International Criminal Court last month rejected Israel’s appeal against the arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant concerning the war in the Gaza Strip. In May, Israel requested the court to cancel the arrest warrants until the appeal regarding the court’s jurisdiction was decided. However, the court rejected the request on July 16, stating that there was “no legal basis” to cancel the warrants during the appeal consideration.
In November 2024, the court announced that it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Galant bear “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.
In December, Israel officially lodged an appeal with the International Criminal Court against the arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Israeli Army Radio reported that “Israel officially submitted an appeal to the International Criminal Court against the decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.”
It is noted that the International Criminal Court issued, on November 21, 2024, arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant on charges of “committing several crimes within the jurisdiction of the court, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as starvation as a tool of war, and crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
